Apparatus for storing and dispensing stacked articles



Oct. 4, 1966 e. F. VORNDRAN APPARATUS FOR STORING AND DISPENSING STACKEDARTICLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Feb. 18, 1964 INVFNTOR. GERALDE VORNDRAN BY Zw, /nw

ATTORNEYS Oct. 4, 1966 F. VORNDRAN 3,276,830

7 APPARATUS FOR STORING AND DISPENSING STACKED ARTICLES Original FiledFeb. 18, 1964 4 Sheets-Shet 2 Fig.3

F i g. 5

F i g. 6

INVENTOR.

GERALD F VORNDRAN BY WM, 43/ dJM ATTORNEYS G. F. VORNDRAN Oct. 4, 1966APPARATUS FOR STORING AND DISPENSING STACKED ARTICLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 5Original Filed Feb. 18, 1964 Fig 8 INVENTOR. GERALD F VORNDRAN ATTORNEYSOct. 4, 1966 G. F. VORNDRAN APPARATUS FORSTORING AND DISPENSING STACKEDARTICLES Original Filed Feb. 18, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

GERALD F VORNDRAN BY 7/4,/ Za/J,uw

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 19 Claims. (01. 312-71 This inventionrelates generally to apparatus for storing and dispensing stackedarticles, and more particularly to dish dispensing apparatus of the typecommonly employed in restaurant and cafeteria operations. Thisapplication is a continuation of application Serial No. 345,741, filedFebruary 18, 1964, and now abandoned.

The most common form of dish dispensing apparatus is of the tube type,i.e., the apparatus is contained within a tubular enclosure extendingdownwardly through an opening in a counter top or the upper wall of acabinet, the tubular enclosure having a rim by which the enclosuretogether with the dispensing apparatus contained therein and the dishessupported thereby are entirely suspended and supported by the counter orupper wall of the cabinet. Contained within the tubular enclosure ofsuch conventional dish dispensing apparatus is a large coil springbearing against the bottom of the enclosure and against a dispensinghead upon which the dishes are stacked; the spring thus accommodatesitself to the weight of the dishes stacked on the dispensing head sothat the uppermost dish is automatically positioned above the countertop or the upper wall of the cabinet and thus readily accessible foruse.

While such conventional tube type dish dispensers are self-contained,i.e., the entire apparatus may be dropped through an opening in acounter top or cabinet wall, they are extremely difiicult thoroughly tosanitize. In order to clean the dispenser, it is necessary to remove itfrom the counter or cabinet and then to remove the dispensing apparatusfrom the tubular enclosure. The tubular enclosure or housing of suchdispensers is frequently elongated, i.e., two feet in length or longer,and is frequently of a small diameter, thus making it extremelyditficult thoroughly to clean the interior. Furthermore, the unitarytube-type design requires that the entire apparatus be suspended from acounter or cabinet top by a flange and thus necessitates that thecounter or cabinet be so fabricated that the top will support the entireload, i.e., the weight of the apparatus itself and of the dishes stackedtherein, The tubular enclosure of such prior dispensers, which isgenerally formed of stainless steel, is relatively costly to fabricate,and furthermore, due to the large number of dish sizes employed inrestaurants and cafeterias, the tubular enclosures are not standard,each size of dish requiring a diflFerent diameter tube. Thus, if theuser of. such a conventional tubular dispenser changes the size ofdishes employed, the dispenser is rendered useless and a new dispenserof different size must be secured. Also, if, as is. frequently the case,it is desired .to heat the dishes while they are stored in thedispenser, the tubular enclosure must be perforated to provide therequisite heat distribution which in itself is costly.

In addition to the foregoing, in conventional tubulartype dishdispensing mechanisms powered by a single large diameter coil spring,the spring tends to tilt at the top when under load due to buckling ofthe spring; this buckling is caused by the size differential between thespring and the tube. While various arrangements for preventing suchtilting have been employed, they .add to the overall cost of theapparatus. In the larger sizes,

case of assembly and disassembly,

3,276,830 Patented Oct.- 4, 1966 such coil springs are expensive due totheir diameter and the requisite wire size.

Conventional tube-type dish dispensers commonly incorporate a circularpan-shaped dispensing head which rests upon the top of the coil springwith a chain extend ing from the lower side of the dispensing headthrough the spring to the base of the tubular enclosure in order to keepthe dispensing head and the spring within the confines of the tube; asthe spring is compressed and decompressed, the dispensing head rubsagainst the side of the tube, this metal-to-metal contact increasingfriction and frequently being noisy. Adjustment of the height of thedispensing head and thus of the uppermost dish stacked thereoniscommonly provided by a screw-type device located at the bottom of the,tubular housing which raises or lowers a platform at the base of thespring, increasing or decreasing the spring tension and in turn raisingor lowering the height of the uppermost dish; the base platform uponwhich the spring rests must be of a different size for each differentsize of dispenser. More importantly, in order to adjust the height ofthe uppermost dish, the dishes must be removed from the dispenser andthe entire dispensing apparatus removed from the tubular enclosure, andthus the proper height must be arrived at through a trial and erroradjustment process.

It is therefore desirable to provide an improved dishdispensingapparatus which eliminates the objectionable features of prior tube-typedispensers, i.e., which can be readily cleaned without disassembly ofthe entire apparatus, in which the weight of the apparatus and thedishes supported thereon is not supported by the counter or cabinet top,in which adjustment of the height of the uppermost dish may be madewithout removing the dishes from the dispenser, in which mechanism foraccommodating a wide range of dish sizes may be provided with a minimumnumber of standard componets, and finally which is simpler and lesscostly to fabricate and assemble than prior conventional dishdispensers.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide improvedapparatus for storing and dispensing stacked articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved dish dispensingapparatus. A further object of the invention is to provide improved dishdispensing apparatus which may be more easily cleaned than priormechanisms.

Another object of the invention is to provideimproved dish dispensingapparatus which is less susceptible to dirt accumulation than priormechanisms.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide improved dishdispensing apparatus in which the weight of the apparatus and of thedishes supported thereon is not required to be supported by a counter orcabinet top.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved dishdispensing apparatus in which adjustment of the height of the uppermostdish may be accomplished without removing the dishes from the apparatus.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide improved dishdispensing apparatus in which tilting of the dispensing head isprevented.

Another object of the invention is the provision of improved dishdispensing apparatus for accommodating dishes in a wide range of sizeswith maximum utilization of interchangeable components.

A final object of the invention is to provide improved dish dispensingapparatus characterized by its simplicity,

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent byreference to the following description and the accompanying drawings,and the features of and relatively low cost.

. '3 novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisspecification.

The invention in its broader aspects comprises a plurality of upstandingpost members each having a side defining an elongated continuoussurface, provided for securing the post members to an upper counter topor cabinet wall at spaced intervals around an opening formed thereinwith the post member sides respectively facing inwardly and extendingupwardly so as to accommodate the articles therebetween. A plurality ofelongated guide members are provided having upper and'lower ends andrespectively extending downwardly from the, post members toward a lowerWall, the guide members having their upper ends respectively attached tothe post members and having their inwardly facing surfaces respectivelyin alignment with the surfaces of the post member sides and formingcontinuations thereof so as to accommodate the articles therebetween. Ahorizontally extending dispensing member is provided for supporting thearticles and is positioned within the guide members and guided forvertical movement thereby. Spring means is provided bearing against thelower side of the dispensing member for urging the same upwardly. Inaccordance with the invention, the guide members have their lower endsrespectively attached to the lower wall and are supported thereon sothat the apparatus and the articles stored therein are substantiallysupported by the lower wall. In the preferred embodiment of theinvention, the spring means comprises individual coil springsrespectively surrounding the guide members having their upper endshearing against the dispensing member, and selectively adjustable meansare provided on the guide members and bearing against the lower ends ofthe coil springs thereby selectively to adjust the height of thedispensing member and in turn the height of the uppermost articlestacked thereon.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of theinvention taken generally along the line 1-1 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along the line 3-3 ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary exploded top view showing the assembly of thebearing members on the dispensing head;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the FIG. .6 is a top view of the spring seatmembers employed in theembodimentof FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is. a bottom view of the post members of the invention;

FIGS is a top view of the retaining members of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view showing a modification ofthe invention; and

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another modification of theinvention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 8 of the drawing,- generally inthepreferred embodiment of the invention, dicated at 12 in FIG. 1,comprises verticallyspaced lower .and upper walls 14, 16 of a stationarycounter or cabinet, or of a movable cabinet. As will be described morefully hereinafter, since the top wall 16 is not required to sup- .portany appreciable portion of the weight of the dispening apparatus and ofthe dishes stacked thereon, top wall 16 maybe fabricated from relativelythin sheet metal. Top wall 16 has a circular opening through whichdishes are loaded onto the dispensing mechanism and dispensed thereby.

A plurality of post members 22 are provided respectively disposed atevenly spaced intervals around the opening 18 in top wall 16; while aminimum of three post members 22 are required, as shown in FIG. 2, itwill be and means are readily understood that four or more 'post membersma gated continuous surface, preferably inclined slightly outwardly asbest seen in FIG. 1 in order to facilitate load-1 ing the dishes 20 uponthe dispensing mechanism and removing the dishes therefrom. Each of thepost members 22 further; comprises an upper portion 26 defining-ahorizontally extending mounting surface 28 and a lower: portion 30depending from the upper portion .26, upperand lower portions 26, 30mutually forming side 24.. Post members 22 are preferably formed fromsuitable molded plastic material.

bearing member of FIG. 4; 7

In order to mount post members 22 on the top wall16, an adapter ring 32is provided preferably formed from relatively thin sheetmetal. Adapterring 32 comprises an annular flat portion 34 having outer andinnerflange portions 36, 38 respectively depending from the outer andinner perimeters of the annular portion 34; the inner annular flange 38defines a circular opening 40. Adapter ring 32 is arranged with itsouter annular flange 36 en gaging the upper surface of top wall 16 andwith its inner flange portion 38 depending downwardly through opening 18in the top wall 16. Post members 22 are arranged in equally spacedrelationship, around opening 40 defined by annular flange 38 with theirmounting surfaces 28 respectively engaging the annular portion 34. ofadapter ring '32 and with their lower portions 30 extending downwardlyin opening 40 and respectively engaging the inner .surface of theannular. flange portion 38; as best seen in FIG. 7, which is a bottomview of the post members 22, lower portions 30 of post members 22 have asurface 42 which engages the inner surface of the annular flange portion38 of the .adapter ring 32.

Post members 22 and adapter ring 32 .are removably secured to the topwall 16 by suitable threaded fasteners 44 extending upwardly throughsuitable holes in top wall 16 and annular portion 34 of adapter ring 32and threadingly engaging suitable tapped holes 46 extending upwardly inportions 26 of post members 22 from the mounting surface 28 thereof.

A plurality of guide rod members 48 are provided, equal in number to thepost members 22, having upper and lower ends 50, 52 and respectivelyextending downwardly from the lower portions 30 of the post members 22toward lower wall 14. Each of the quide rod members 48 comprises a maincylindrical portion 54 extending between ends 50, 52 and an axiallyextending blade portion 56 extending radially outwardly from thecylindrical portion 54 and terminating short, of ends 50, 52 of thecylindricalportion54. For reasons to be hereinafter more fullydescribed, the lower extremities 58 of the blades 56-are spaced from thecylindrical portions 54 to define upwardly extending slots 60.Cylindrical portions 54 of the guide rod members 48 may be formed ofconventional steel rod, and blade portions 56 may be welded thereto.

18 formed therein Referring now particularly to FIG. 7, the lowerportion 30. of each .of the post members 22 has an opening 62formed'therein communicating with side 24, and with the bottom surfaceof portion 30. Opening 62 isformed with a radius substantially identicalto that of cylindrical portion 54 of the guide rod members48 so as todefine portions 64 which resiliently receive and retain the upper ends'50 of the cylindrical portion 5410f guide rod members 48 in snap-inremovable relationship.

It will be seen that with the arrangement thus far described, the, sides24 of the post members22 face radially inwardly toward the center of theopening 40 and extend upwardly and that the inner surfaces ofthecylindrical portions 54 of the guide rod members 48 are in alignmentwith the sides 24 of the post members 22- and form smooth extensionsthereof.

coil springs 76 of the requisite size in the requisite weight-supportingand lifting capacty without requiring the use of guide rod members ofpropor- In order to support the stack of dishes 20 and to dispense thesame, a flat horizontally extending circular dispensing plate isprovided, preferably formed of suitable sheet metal. Dispensing plate 66has a plurality of generally U-shaped radially outwardly facing notches68 formed in its perimetral edge 70, as best seen in FIG. 4, notches 68being equally spaced around the perimeter 40 and being equal in numberto the guide rod members 48 and post members 22. Generally U-shapedguide bearing. members 72 are provided having an exterior groove 74formed therein, as best seen in FIG. 5. Guide bearing members 72 areremovably seated in the notches 68 in the dispensing plate member 66 bymeans of grooves 74, as seen in FIG. 4, so that the guide bearingmembers 72 face radially outwardly as best seen in FIG.

,3. Further reference to FIG. 3 will show that the guide bearing members72 slidingly receive the cylindrical portions 54 of the guide rodmembers 48, thus guiding dispensing late member 66 for verticalmovement. Guide bearing members 72 are preferably formedof suitableplastic material. Though not essential to proper operation, guidebearing members 72 eliminate metal-to-metal contact with the guide rodmembers 48. Dispensing plate member 66 preferably has a diameter greaterthan that of flange portion 38 of the adapter ring 32 and thus greaterthan that of the circle defined by portions 30 of the post members 22,and it will thus be seen that upward movement of the dispensing platemember 66 through the opening 40 is prevented.

In order to urge the dispensing plate member 66 upwardly thereby todispense the stack of dishes supported thereon, coil springs 76 areprovided respectively surrounding the guide rod members 48. The upperends 78 of coil springs 76 preferably bear against suitable spring seatwashers 80, as best seen in FIG. 6, which in turn bear against the guidebearing members 72 attached to the dispensing plate member 66 asabove-described. The lower ends 82 of coil springs 76 likewise bearagainst spring seat washers 80. Selective adjustment of the height ofthe lower spring seat washers 80 above lower wall 14 and thus of theheight of dispensing plate member 66 and of the uppermost plate 20 isprovided by means of self-locking washers 84 slidably mounted upon thecylindrical portions 54 of the guide rod members 48 engaging the lowerspring seat washers 80 and extendng through the notches 60, as best seenin FIG. 1. It will be readily understood that the self-locking washers84 are provided with apertures therein slightly larger than the diameterof the cylindrical portions 54 of the guide rod members 48, thuspermitting their ready adjustment upwardly and downwardly on thecylindrical portions 54. However, it will further be understood that thedownward force exerted by coil springs 76 on the lower spring seatwashers 80 and self-locking washers 84 slightly cocks the self lockingwashers 84, thereby to lock them in the selected position.

It will be readily seen that the provision of the blade portions 56 ofthe guide rod members 48 accommodates order to provide tionate diameterand thus weight and expense.

In order to support the weight of the dish-dispensing mechanism and thedishes 20 supported thereon, a plurality of retainingclip members 86 areprovided preferably molded from suitable plastic material.Retaining-clip members 86 are provided with tapered and serrated lowerends 88 which may be driven into suitable openings 90 in the lower wall14, thereby to secure the retaining-clip members 86 thereto. As bestseen in FIG. 8, retaining clip members 86 have openings 92 formedtherein communicating with their sides and tops, openings 92 having aradius substantially identical to the radius of the cylindrical portions54 of the guide rod members 48 thereby defining spring portions 94 whichresilien'tly receive and guide rod members 48 rest upon andare-supported by the bottom surfaces 96 of the openings 92 in theretaining-clip members 86 and it will thus be seen that substantiallythe entire weight of the. dispensing mechanism and of the stack ofdishes 20 supported on the dispensing plate member 66 is supported onthe lower wall 14. This construction therefore eliminates the previousneed for providing sufficient structural material in the sides and topof the cabinet and in the flange of the dis pensing apparatus in orderto support the weight of the apparatus and of the dishes stored therein.

It will readily be seen that in the preferred embodiment of theinventiondescribed above and shown in FIGS. 1 through 8, the dispensing mechanismis powered by relatively small diameter coil springs 76 working over theguide rod members 48, the close clearance between the guide rod membersand the coil springs preventing buckling of the springs so that thedispensing plate member 66 and the dishes thereon remain level; thesprings 76, being of relatively small diameter and wire size, areconsiderably more economical than a single large-diameter spring ofrequisite wire size. It will be seen that the vertically mounted guiderod members 48, even when formed of stainless steel, areconsiderably-less expensive than a large-diameter tubular enclosure. Itwill also be readily apparent that each dispensing apparatus, regardlessofits size, employs the same post member and guide rod assembly, i.e.,the post members 22, guide rod members 48, guide bearings 72, springseat washers 80, adjustable locking washers 84, and retaining-clipmembers 86 are standard components employed regardless of the size ofthe dispensing apparatus. Thus, only the relatively inexpensive adapterrings 32, dispensing plate member 66 and springs ofproper rate arerequired to be provided in different sizes in order to provide thedispensing apparatus in the requisite different sizes. It will be seenfurther that no base spring platform is required and particularly thatsince the dispensing mechanism is open and readily accessible, i.e., itis not disposed entirely within a tubular enclosure, that adjustment ofthe height of the dispensing plate member 66 and thus of the stack ofdishes 20 thereon may be accomplished without removing the stack ofdishes from the apparatus and re moving the mechanism from the cabinetor counter. It will now be seen that the apparatus may be shipped inknocked-down form with assembly taking place at the time the cabinet isfabricated, or even at the point of utilization; no welding or.finishing is required for assembly since the parts are merely snappedtogether in a secure but removable manner. It will thus be seen that theentire apparatus can be assembled and disassembled within a relativelyfew minutes. It will also be readily understood that the apparatus,since it is readily accessible, can be quickly and easily cleaned and ifneed be all the component parts can be readily disassembled for completesanitizing.

Referring briefly to FIG. 9, in which like elements are indicated bylike reference numerals, it will be seen that adapter ring 32 may beeliminated and the post members 22 mounted directly on the upper surfaceof top wall 16' with the depending portions 30 thereof engaging annularflange 98 which depends from the top wall 16. It will further be seenthat where the loading is relatively light,

spring 100 directly bears upon the lower surface of the dispensing platemember 66' while the lower end 104 bears against base plate member 106which may be identicalto the dispensing'plate member 66, but which .doesnot necessarily require employment of the guide bearing members 72.Here, adjustment of the height of "the dispensing plate member 66' andof the stack of dishes 20 thereon (not shown in FIG. 10) may beaccomplished by means of a suitable threaded stud 108 threadinglysecured to the base plate member 106 and 'adjustably engaging the lowerWall 14. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the post members 22' areagain directly mounted on the top wall 16 and in this embodiment thedepending flange 98 of the embodiment of FIG. 9 is eliminated entirelywith the lower portions 30' of the post members 22' depending downwardlythrough the opening 18 in the top wall 16. Top wall 16, while shown asmetal, may be any building material suitable for cabinet topconstruction.

It'will now be seen that the improved apparatus of the ments of thisinvention, further modifications and improvements will occur to thoseskilled in the art, and I desire, therefore, in the appended claims tocover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthis invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for storing and dispensing stacked articles comprising:vertically spaced upper and lower wa l] means, said upper wall meanshaving an opening formed therein; guide means for guiding said articlesonto a support surface therefor including a plurality of upstanding postmembers each having a horizontal mounting surface and a side defining anelongated continuous surface and means for removably securing saidmounting surfaces of said post members to the upper side of said upperwall means at spaced intervals around said opening, said post membersbeing positioned with said sides respectively spaced inwardly from theperimeter of said opening and with a portion of each of said postmembers overhanging said opening,'said sides respectively facinginwardly and extending upwardly thereby to accommodate said articlestherebetween; a plurality of enlongated guide rod members respectivelyhaving upper and lower ends, said guide rod members respectively havingtheir upper ends removably attached to said guide means and extendingdownwardly fromsaid post member overhanging portions toward said lowerwallrmeans with their inwardly facing surfaces respectively in alignmentwith said surfaces of said post member sides and forming extensionsthereof thereby to accommodate said articles therebetween; a

horizontallyextending dispensing .plate member for sup-. porting saidarticles positioned within said guide rod members and having spacednotches formed in its periphery,

said guide rod members respectively extending .through said notchesthereby guiding said plate member for vertical movement, said platemember having at least one transverse dimension greater than the minimumtransverse dimension between said post member overhanging portionswhereby upward movement of said plate member through said opening isprevented; spring means bearing against the lower side of said platemember for urging the same upwardly; and means for removably attachingsaid lower ends of said guide rod members to said lower wall means.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said post meminvention for storingand dispensing articles, particularly ber overhanging, portions dependdownwardly through said opening and said guide rod members are removablyattached thereto.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein saidupper wall means includes adownwardly extending flange bordering said opening, wherein said postmember overhanging portions depend downwardly through said opening andrespectively engage said flange, said guide rod members being removableattached to said post member portions, and wherein said securing meansrespectively engages said horizontal surface of each of said postmembers outwardly from said overhanging portion and said side thereof.

4. The combination of claim 1 further comprising bearing membersremovably seated in said plate member notches and respectively,slidingly engaging said guide rod members, each of said bearing membersbeing generally U-shaped whereby said plate member is removably mountedon said guide rod members.

5. Apparatus for storing and dispensing stacked articles comprising:vertically spaced upper and lower wall means, said upper wall meanshaving an opening formed therein; guide means for guiding said articlesonto a support surface therefor including a pluralityof upstanding postmembers each having a horizontal mountingsurface and a side defining anelongated continuous surface and means for removably securing saidmounting surfaces of said post members to the upper side of said upperwall means at spaced intervals around said opening, said post-membersbeing positioned with said sides respectively spaced inwardly from theperimeter of said opening and with a portion of each of said postmembers overhanging said opening, said sides respectively facinginwardly and extending upwardly thereby to accommodate said articlestherebetween; a plurality of elongated guide rod members respectivelyhaving upper and lower ends, said guide rod members respectively havingtheir upper ends removably attached to said guide means and extendingdownwardly from said post member overhanging portions toward said lowerwall means with their inwardly facing surfaces respectively in alignmentwith said surfaces of said post member sides and forming extensionsthereof thereby to accommodate said articles therebetween; ahorizontally extending dispensing plate member for supporting saidarticles positioned within said guide rod members and having spacednotches'formed in its periphery, said guide rod members respectivelyextending through said notches thereby guiding said plate member forvertical movement, said plate member having at least one transversedimension greater than the minimum transverse dimension between saidpost member overhanging portions whereby upward movement of said platemember through said opening is prevented; a plurality of coil springsrespectively surrounding said guide rod members and having upper endsurging said plate member upwardly; spring seat members movably mounted.on said guide rod members and respectively bearing against the lowerends of said coil springs, and self-locking members adjustably mountedon said guide rod members and respectively engaging said spring seatmembers for selectively adjusting the height of said plate member; andmeans for removably attaching the lower ends of said guide rod membersto said lower. wall means. a I

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein each of said guide rod' memberscomprises a cylindrical portion defining said inwardly facing surfaceand an axially extending elongated blade portion extending radiallyoutwardly from said cylindrical portion, and wherein said spring meanscomprises coil springs respectively surrounding said guide rod members.

7. The combination of claim -1 wherein said upper wall means comprises arelatively thin metal sheet having the circular opening formed therein,and an annular ring SUI-1' rounding said opening and engaging saidsheet, said ring having an annular flange extending downwardly through 9said circular opening and bordering said first-named upper wall meansopening, wherein said post member overhanging portions depend downwardlythrough said opening and respectively engage said flange, said guide rodmembers being removably attached to said post member overhangingportions, and wherein said securing means secures both said ring andsaid post members to said sheet.

8. In combination with a cabinet having vertically spaced upper andlower walls, said upper wall having an opening formed therein, apparatusfor storing and dispensing stacked articles comprising: a plurality ofupstanding post members each having an upper portion and a lower portiondepending from said upper portion, said upper and lower portions havinga common side defining an elongated continuous surface; means forremovably securing said post members to the upper side of said upperwall at spaced intervals around said opening with said upper portionsengaging said upper wall and said lower portions depending downwardlythrough said opening and with said sides respectively facing inwardlyand extending upwardly thereby to accommodate said articlestherebetween; a plurality of elongated guide rod members respectivelyhaving upper and lower ends; each of said post member lower portionshaving an opening formed in said common side and the bottom thereofreceiving and retaining the upper end of a respective guide rod memberin snap-in removable relationship, said guide rod members extendingdownwardly from the respective post member lower portions with theirinner surfaces in alignment with said post member surfaces and formingextensions thereof thereby to accommodate said articles therebetween; ahorizontally disposed fiat dispensing plate member for supporting saidarticles having a plurality of notches formed at spaced intervals aroundits perimeter, said plate member extending across said guide rod memberswith said guide rod members being respectively slidably received in saidnotches thereby to guide said plate member for vertical movement, saidplate member 7 having a maximum dimension greater than the minimumtransverse distance between said lower post member portions wherebymovement of said plate member upwardly through said opening isprevented; spring means bearing against the lower side of said platemember for urging the same upwardly; and a plurality of retainingmembers secured to the upper side of said lower wall, each of saidretaining member comprising a post portion having an opening formed inthe side and top thereof receiving and retaining the lower end of arespective guide rod member in snap-in removable relationship andsupporting the same whereby said apparatus and the articles storedtherein are substantially supported on said lower wall.

9. Apparatus for storing and dispensing stacked articles comprising:vertically spaced upper and lower wall means, said upper wall meanshaving an opening formed therein; 'guide means for guiding said articlesonto a support surface therefor including a plurality of upstanding postmembers each having a side defining an elongated continuous surface andmeans for securing said post members to the upper side of said upperwall means at spaced intervals around said opening with said sidesrespectively facing inwardly and extending upwardly thereby toaccommodate said articles therebetween; a plurality of elongated guidemembers having upper and lower ends and respectively extendingdownwardly from said post members toward said lower wall, said guidemembers having their upper ends respectively attached to said guidemeans and having inwardly facing surfaces respectively in alignment withsaid surfaces of said post member sides and forming continuationsthereof thereby to accommodate said articles therebetween; ahorizontally extending dispensing member for supporting said articlespositioned within said guide members and guided for vertical movementthereby, said dispensing member having at least one transverse dimensiongreater than the minimum transverse dimension of said opening wherebyupward movement of said dispensing member through said opening isprevented; a plurality of coil springs respectively surrounding saidguide members and having their upper ends urging said dispensing memberupwardly; and selectively adjustable self-locking members respectivelymounted on said guide members and respectively bearing against the lowerends of said spring for selectively adjusting the height of saiddispensing member; said guide members having their lower endsrespectively attached to said lower wall means.

10. In combination with a cabinet having vertically spaced upper andlower walls, said upper wall having an opening formed therein; apparatusfor storing and dispensing stacked articles comprising: a plurality ofupstanding post members each having a side defining an elongatedcontinuous surface; means for securing said post members to said upperwall at spaced intervals around said opening with said sidesrespectively facing inwardly and extending upwardly thereby toaccommodate said articles therebetween; a plurality of elongated guidemembers having upper and lower ends and respectively extendingdownwardly from said post members toward said lower wall, said guidemembers having inwardly facing surfaces respectively in alignment withsaid surfaces of said post member sides and forming continuationsthereof thereby to accommodate said articles therebetween, said postmembers respectively having portions with means formed therein forreceiving and retaining said upper ends of said guide members in snap-inremovable relationship; a horizontally extending dispensing member forsupporting said articles positioned within said guide members and guidedfor vertical movement thereby; spring means bearing against the lowerside of said dispensing member for urging the same upwardly; and aplurality of retaining members attached to, said lower wall andrespectively having portions with means formed thereon for receiving andretaining the lower end of said guide members in snap-in removablerelationship whereby said apparatus and the articles stored therein aresubstantially supported by said lower wall. I

upstanding post members each having a horizontal mounting surface and aside defining an elongated continuous surface and an annular member forremovably attaching said post members to a supporting element and havingan annular flange portion depending from its inner periphery anddefining the opening therein, said annular member engaging said mountingsurfaces of said post members, said post members being evenly spacedapart on said annular member with said sides respectively spacedinwardly from the perimeter of said opening and with a portion of eachof said post members overhanging said opening, said sides respectivelyfacing radially inwardly and extending upwardly thereby to accommodatesaid guide rod members respectively having their upper ends extendinginto said opening and removably attached to said guide means, said guiderod members respectively extending downwardly from said post memberoverhanging portions with their inwardly facing surfaces respectively inalignment with said surfaces of said post member sides and formingextensions thereof for accommodating said articles therebetween; ahorizontally disposed dispensing plate member for supporting saidarticles extending across said guide rod members and having meansslidably engaging said guide .rod members whereby said plate member isguided for vertical movements; and spring means bearing against thelower side of said plate member for urging the same upwardly.

12. Apparatus for storing and dispensing stacked articles comprising: aplurality of upstanding post members each having an upper portion and alower portion depending therefrom and a side defining an elongatedcontinuous surface; means for removably attaching said post members tothe upper side of a supporting element and engaging said upper portionsof said post members, said post members being evenly spaced-apart on theperimeter of a circle with said sides respectively facing radiallyinwardly and extending upward-1y thereby to accommodate said articlestherebetween; a plurality of elongated guide rod members respectivelyhaving upper and lower ends; each of said lower portions of said postmembers having an opening formed in said common side and the bottomthereof for receiving and retaining said upper end of the respectiveguide rod member in snap-in removable rela tionship,-said guide rodmembers extending downwardly from said post members with their inwardlyfacing surfaces respectively in alignment with said post member surfacesand forming extensions thereof for accommodating said articlestherebetween; a horizontally disposed dispensing plate member forsupporting said articlesextending across said guide rod members andhaving means slidably engaging said guide rod members whereby said platemember is guided for vertical movement; and spring means bearing againstthe lower side of said plate member for urging the same upwardly.

13. Apparatus for storing and dispensing stacked articles comprising: aplurality of upstanding post members each having a side defining anelongated continuous surface, said post members being evenly spacedapart on the perimeter of a circle with said sides respectively facingradially inwardly and extending upwardly thereby to accommodate saidarticles therebetween; a plurality of elongated guide rod membersrespectively having upper and lower ends, said guide rod membersrespectively having upper and lower ends, said 'guide rod membersrespectively having their upper ends removably attached to said postmembers and extending downwardly therefrom with their inwardly facingsurfaces respectively in alignment with said post member surfaces andforming extensions thereof for accommodating said articles therebetween;a horizontally disposed dispensing plate member for supporting saidarticles extending across said guide rod members, said plate memberhaving radially outwardly facing notches formed in its perimeter;radially outwardly facing generally U-shaped bearing membersrespectively seated in said notches and respectively slid-ably engagingsaid guide rod members whereby said plate member is guided for verticalmovement and said plate member may be removed from said guide rodmembers; the diameter of saidv plate member being greater than that ofsaid circle whereby said post members prevent upward movement of saidplate member therebetween; spring means bearing against the lower sideof said plate member for urging thesame upwardly; and means forremovably attaching said post members to a supporting element.

14. Apparatus for storing and dispensing stacked articles comprising: .aplurality of upstanding post members each having a side defining anelongated continuous surface, said post members being evenlyspaced-apart on the perimeter of a circle with said sides respectivelyfacing radially inwardly and extending upwardly thereby to accommodatesaid articles therebetween; a. plurality of elongated guide rod membersrespectively having upper and lower ends, said guide rod membersrespectively having their upper ends removably attached to said postmembers and extending downwardly therefrom with their in-' wardly facingsurfaces respectively in alignment with said post member surfaces andforming extensions thereof for accommodating said articles therebetween;a horiz-ontally disposed dispensing plate member for supporting saidarticles extending across said guide rod members and having meansslidably engaging said guide rod members whereby said plate member isguided for vertical movement;-each of said guide rod members comprisinga cylindrical portion respectively defining said interior surfaces andan axially extending and radially outwardly extending blade portionjoined tosaid cylindrical portion; a plurality of coil springsrespectively surrounding said guide rod members and having their upperends hearing against said plate member for urging the same. upwardly;spring seat means respectively slidably mounted on said guide .rodmembers and bearing against the lower ends of said coil springs;selectively adjustable self-locking members respectively mounted on'said guide rod members and engaging said spring seat means: forselectively adjusting the height of said plate member, each of saidblade portions having a part adjacent its lower end radially spaced fromthe respective cylindrical portion and defining an upwardly extendingslot, saidllocking members respectively embracing said cylindricalportions and extending through said slots; and means for removablyattaching said post members to a supporting element.

15. Apparatus for storing and dispensing stacked articles comprising:guide means for guiding said articles onto a support surface thereforincluding upwardly-ex tending loading elements having a horizontalmounting surface, an annular member underlying said mounting surface forremovably attaching said loading elements to a supporting element, saidannular member engaging and supporting said mounting surface of saidloading elements, said loading elements being proportioned toaccommodate said articles therein for passage through the opening insaid annular member; a plurality of elongated guide rod membersrespectively having upper and lower ends; said guide means includingmeans for respectively removably connecting said upper ends of saidguide rod members thereto with said guide rod members extendingdownwardly therefrom for accommodating said articles therebetween; ahorizontal plate member for supporting and dispensing said articlesdisposed within the confines of said guide rod members; said platemember having an operative slidableconnection with said guide rodmembers whereby said plate member is guided for vertical movementthereon; said plate member having a maximum transverse dimension greaterthan the maximum transverse dimension of the opening in said annularmember whereby upper movement of said plate member through said openingis prevented; and ,a plurality of coil springs having upper and lowerends respectively surrounding said guide rod members, said springsextending downwardly from said plate member and respectively havingtheir upper ends-acting against the lower sideof said plate member forurging the same upwardly.

1-6. The vapparatus of claim 15 further comprising spring seat membersmovably mounted on said guide rod members and respectively bearingagainst the lower ends of said coil springs, and self-locking membersadjustably mounted on said guide rod members and respectively engagingsaid spring seat members for selectively adjusting the height of saidplate member.

17.. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said loading elements meanscomprises a plurality of spaced-apart upstanding post membersrespectively having radially inwardly facing sides; and wherein saidguide rod members vhave radiallyinwardly facing surfaces respectively inalignment .with said post member sides and forming extensions thereof.

IS. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a bottom plate memberand meansfor removably connecting said lower ends of said guide vrodmembers to said bottom plate member.

19. The apparatus of claim 1-5 wherein said. annular member has adepending flange portion thereon bordering the opening therein, saidloading elements having a portion overhanging said opening, said upperends of said guide rod members extending upwardly in said openingengaging said flange portion and being generally in alignment with saidloading elements overhanging portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1911 Bracher248-403 X 8/1941 Gibbs 312-71 14 Larsen 312--71 Holloway 312-71 Weissert211-49 Shelley 211-49 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

JOHN PETO, Examiner.

1. APPARATUS FOR STORING AND DISPENSING STACKED ARTICLES COMPRISING:VERTICALLY SPACED UPPER AND LOWER WALL MEANS, SAID UPPER WALL MEANSHAVING AN OPENING FORMED THEREIN; GUIDE MEANS FOR GUIDING SAID ARTICLESONTO A SUPPORT SURFACE THEREFOR INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF UPSTANDING POSTMEMBERS EACH HAVING A HORIZONTAL MOUNTING SURFACE AND SIDE DEFINING ANELONGATED CONTINUOUS SURFACE AND MEANS FOR REMOVABLY SECURING SAIDMOUNTING SURFACE OF SAID POST MEMBERS TO THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID UPPERWALL MEANS AT SPACED INTERVALS AROUND SAID OPENING, SAID POST MEMBERSBEING POSITIONED WITH SAID SIDES RESPECTIVELY SPACED INWARDLY FROM THEPERIMETER OF SAID OPENING AND WITH A PORTION OF EACH OF SAID POSTMEMBERS OVERHANGING SAID OPENING, SAID SIDES RESPECTIVELY FACINGINWARDLY AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREBY TO ACCOMMODATE SAID ARTICLESTHEREBETWEEN; A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED GUIDE ROD MEMBERS RESPECTIVELYHAVING UPPER AND LOWER ENDS, SAID GUIDE ROD MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY HAVINGTHEIR UPPER END REMOVABLY ATTACHED TO SAID GUIDE MEANS AND EXTENDINGDOWNWARDLY FROM SAID POST MEMBER OVERHANGING PORTIONS TOWARD SAID LOWERWALL MEANS WITH THEIR INWARDLY FACING SURFACES RESPECTIVELY IN ALIGNMENTWITH THEIR INWARDLY OF SAID POST MEMBER SIDES AND FORMING EXTENSIONSTHEREOF THEREBY TO ACCOMMODATE SAID ARTICLES THEREBETWEEN; AHORIZONTALLY EXTENDING DISPENSING PLATE MEMBER FOR SUPPORTING SAIDARTICLES POSITIONED WITHIN SAID GUIDE ROD MEMBERS AND HAVING SPACEDNOTCHES FORMED IN ITS PERIPHERY, SAID GUIDE ROD MEMBERS RESPECTIVELYEXTENDING THROUGH SAID NOTCHES THEREBY GUIDING SAID PLATE MEMBER FORVERTICAL MOVEMENT, SAID PLATE MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST ONE TRANSVERSEDIMENSION GREATER THAN THE MINIMUM TRANSVERSE DIMENSION BETWEEN SAIDPOST MEMBER OVERHANGING PORTIONS WHEREBY UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID PLATEMEMBER THROUGH SAID OPENING IS PREVENTED; SPRING MEANS BEARING AGAINSTTHE LOWER SIDE OF SAID PLATE MEMBER FOR URGING THE SAME UPWARDLY; ANDMEANS FOR REMOVABLY ATTACHING SAID LOWER ENDS OF SAID GUIDE ROD MEMBERSTO SAID LOWER WALL MEANS.